Marausa

Marausa is in Trapani Province, Sicily, about 9 km south of Trapani. The area now known as Marausa has been inhabited since ancient times by first Carthaginians and then Romans. Only a handful of historic buildings remain in Marausa.

Understand
Archaeological evidence supporting the presence of these ancient inhabitants is regularly unearthed by local farmers when they plough their land – particularly now they use mechanical ploughs that dig deeper. The most comment traces are fragments of painted terracotta pots and remains of stone tombs.

It is believed that the first people to give a specific name to this area were the Arabs and that they were mostly shepherds. Accordingly, the modern name of Marausa is believed to derive from "Mara U Zack" which translates roughly as "poor pastures" or "meagre pastures".

From old maps it is known that like Nubia, Marausa was historically a rather marshy plain. However, over the centuries, the River Birgi has carried debris and sediment with floodwater and lifted the entire area by several metres and created very arable land suited to vines, pumpkins, melons and other fruits. The first officially confirmed residents of Marausa lived in the ‘Torre di Mezzo’ on the coast.

By train
Local trains run between Trapani and Marsala during the day. The local station, Locogrande, is just outside of Marausa, near the cantina.

By bus
AST public bus services run services to Trapani (city) from both the seaside Lido and the small town via Paceco and Nubia (30-minute journey).

By car
The Marsala spur of the A29 Autostrada ends 1 km south of Marausa. Marausa has its own junction with this motorway onto the (Strada Provinciale) SP21 which runs between Trapani and Marsala. Local roads are signposted and directions to the coastal Lido di Marausa resort are marked.

By plane
Ryanair services from across Europe serve 'Vincenzo-Florio' Trapani Airport (also signposted as 'Birgi Airport') - 4 km from Marausa town on the SP21 road. Alternatively, Palermo 'Falcone-Borsellino' airport is 80 km away on the A29 motorway.

See

 * Torre di Mezzo: After waves of Turkish barbarian incursions and attacks during the early 1500s, the Viceroy of Sicily decided, in 1584, to employ Florentine Camillo Casigliani to design a series of coastal fortifications in the form of 150 watch towers along the island’s coast. During the day they would alert neighbouring towers and towns of impending attacks by flashing mirrors, and at night, via fireworks. The plans would see residents abandon their towns for the relative safety of the island’s interior. The watch tower at Marausa was built in the 16th century and as “la Torre di Santo Stefano di Alca Grossa" (St. Stephen's Tower of Alca Grossa) – because it overlooked the shallow archipelago characterised at the time by the large sanddunes and mounds of algae (seaweed). After becoming operational in 1611 AD, the tower became known locally as ‘la Torre di Mezzo’ (the Middle Tower) because of its geographical position between the Towers at Nubia and San Teodoro. After a period of disuse in the 20th century, it once more became operational under first the German, then Allied command during World War II. The Guardia di Finanza (Customs & Excise) took up residence for a few years after the war ended, but the tower fell into disrepair in the early 1970s. In the early 1990s la Torre di Mezzo was restored and opened varyingly for brief periods as a local museum, art gallery and cultural information point. Since 1989, a summer stage has been occasionally erected alongside the tower, with local bands and drama groups offering entertainment in summer evenings. However, as of 2011, the tower is in disrepair.
 * Vecchia Chiesa The collapsing ruins of the Old Church lie 100 m from the A29 motorway flyover and junction. Although the walls still stand, the roof has long since collapsed and the masonry is now flaking too.
 * L’Abbeveratoio The restored 17th-century ‘Bevaio’ (Drinking Trough) lies away from the modern Marausa – 100 m west of the Vechia Chiesa towards the coast. The Bevaio was provided by the St. Francis of Assisi Monastery in Trapani for the collective use of the animals grazing the monastery owned pastures of Marausa.
 * San Francesco Harbour Porto San Francesco is the semi-abandoned harbour of Marausa that sits alongside the salt pans. Once home to a large fishing fleet, the port's use declined into the early 1970s and now is home to only a few battered private fishing boats and pleasure craft. Plans are afoot to restore the old harbour walls and create a new shallow marina with residential complex.

Do

 * Beaches! As Trapani's second (but largest) beach resort, the waters of Marausa Lido warm up between May and October and positively scorch in July and August. During the summer months, beach lidos and bars are constructed to make the most of the 2.5-km-long sandy beaches - the majority of which are free to use.
 * You will also find beach-volleyball tournaments and children's beach games during July and August. Local performers sometimes stage outdoor plays in the square in Marausa, or the seasonal stage by the Torre di Mezzo lighthouse by the coast in the Lido. Outdoor basketball championships are held in the evenings in the local square. Speedboats can be hired from the seafront marina and beaches and restaurants in the area offer fantastic views of the Egadi Islands and sunsets.


 * Open-air concerts are held in Paceco and up on the top of Mount Erice in the medieval square in summer months. Every Easter Trapani hosts 'I Misteri' a world famous procession of carved wooden statues depicting Christ and other religious figures in a 3-day festival.





Buy
In the town of Marausa, the local shops comprise: bakery, supermarkets, electrical, hardware, post office, internet cafe, toyshops, gardenware, books and gifts, groceries, wine shop, cycle hire shop, bank and 2 ATMs, and a pharmacy. There are three petrol stations (Esso, IP and API). A church, public square, public telephones and several bars.

In summer months, local businesses serve the houses in the seaside resort with mobile shops in vans selling fish, vegetables, meat and other groceries. On the other side of the bridge over the motorway, you'll find a couple who farm a large piece of land and sell their delicious produce by the side of the road for a fraction of the supermarket prices.

Trapani, Marsala and Paceco have many more shops than Marausa, as well as street markets, fish markets, diving shops, clothing, etc. - so head there for greater shopping options.


 * Babilla Store - Cards, gifts and novelties for the home.
 * Supermercato ISSIMO - Moderate sized supermarket run by three friendly sisters.
 * Supermercato Morello - Small supermarket with friendly staff.
 * Vin D'Honneur - Small Bottega selling local food delicacies and wines.
 * TotoEdicola Cartolibreria - Newsagent. Books & gifts. Fax and internet service.
 * Panificio D'angelo - Forno a Legna (bakery).
 * Pescheria Bertolino - (Fishmongers) Fresh fish caught locally.
 * Mascelleria da Nicola - Local pork butchers.
 * Carni Locali - di Peppe Alcamo - Local livestock butchers prepared by a local family.
 * OrtoFrutta - Le Delizie – Greengrocers, fruit & veg, wine, oil, cheese and olives.
 * Farmacia Dr Giuseppe Casuccio - Pharmacy/chemists opening daily and part of the 24-hour local rota.
 * Farmacia Dr Giuseppe Casuccio - Pharmacy/chemists opening daily and part of the 24-hour local rota.

There are several other small shops and services in Marausa such as the DIY Store and garden centre opposite the primary school and Esso Station; two electrical and domestic outlets, a tobacconist, men's barber, doctor's surgery, solicitor, and two motor mechanics.

Eat
There are two great pizza take-aways on the main road, along with several bars - the most popular of which is Bar Tiffany.



In the seaside Lido di Marausa Resort 2 km away, you will find two restaurants open all year round (Marausa Beach Restaurant & Ristorante La Perla) with accompanying bars. Two temporary bars set up by the sea in June-September: The Tre Torri Lido Bar with a games salon and occasional discotheque can usually be found amongst the dunes and sands of the beaches in the summer months, while Lido Azzurro sets up near the abandoned Tre Torre Restaurant building near the derelict windmill and bills itself as a calmer idyll.



Drink
As above, there are three bars in the seaside Lido and five others along the main road



Go next
Marausa is a good base to explore western Sicily from. It is well positioned for its own local beaches, and has excellent motorway and strategic road links to the whole of the west.


 * Erice Mountain (30 minutes by car and cable car)
 * Trapani (cathedral, old quarter and markets)
 * Aegadi Islands (beaches and diving to die for)
 * San Vito lo Capo and Zingaro Nature Reserve (beaches you have only dreamed of)
 * Marsala (desert wines and museums)
 * Mozia (Pheonecian Island, Mosaics etc)
 * Mozia (Pheonecian Island, Mosaics etc)